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Jayson Tatum is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers

So the Skills competition always seems to come down to the final 3-pointer to close out the round and several times on the night players who got to the shot first wound up losing because they couldn't hit that first attempt.

But as the night went on people got more and more creative. First, it was Trae Young thinking smart as he hit a 3-pointer with a runner to beat De'Aaron Fox.

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was studying everything going on though and he was not going to get beat by the 3-pointer in the finals. Against Young, he took a runner - from half-court - to edge out Young for the win.

Nets players keep showcasing well

The NBA All-Star weekend is starting to feel like a showcase for the Nets.

First, last season Spencer Dinwiddie won the Skills Challenge. Then this year Joe Harris outdueled the greatest 3-point shooter of all time in Stephen Curry to win the 3-point contest. And on Friday, Rodions Kurucs scored 10 points while adding five assists, four rebounds and two 3-pointers made in the Rising Stars Challenge.

And Sunday, D'Angelo Russell will make his first career All-Star appearance. Talent is starting to show for the Nets which is probably a pretty good reason why they are currently in line for a playoff spot with a 30-29 record at the break. This team is almost defiantly on the up and up even though few take notice.

It's time to change something with the Dunk Contest

There were memorable moments in this year's dunk contest. Hamidou Diallo jumped over Shaq.

But overall, once again, the Dunk Contest was a bit of a snoozer. We've seen everything these guys have done before and one of the few 50's on the night came on the fifth attempt in the second round by Smith.

The anticipation of the dunks is almost the most exciting part of the night now. Something has to change. Whether it be a different format or simply opening up the contest more (wouldn't you like to see Zion Williamson in the contest this year even though he's still in college?) or even allowing the use of professional dunkers to compete against NBA players, something has to change.

We've seen it all at this point, and to be honest, a lot of people are bored with it. Unless you can give us Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon again. Absolutely nothing about that was boring.